Memoirs and morsels from home and abroad

share a little sunshine

The past month has been characterized by two constants – snow and travel. And unfortunately (or fortunately in some cases) the former has been interfering with the latter. I’ve managed to miss both major snowstorms here in Boston, returning to an icy runway and snow piles well above my waist.

Over Christmas, Meira and I went out to San Francisco to visit her brother and sister-in-law. And their two pups. We ate and ate and drank and ate. It was a gluttonous few days including the times when we did cook at home. In the span of 48 hours, we had three different beef dishes — brisket, Micah’s cholent (hopefully the subject of a guest post), and hamburgers. We rounded out shabbat dinner with a few of my old standbys — butternut squash soup and apple cake — and some new favorites that I picked up from Eliana. Before we get to the recipes and as I pack (yet again) to head out of town, I figured I’d share a little sunshine (I hope it still comes through in my experiments with sepia) on this gray gray Boston day.

Roasted Bites

I didn’t grow up eating brussels sprouts and always avoided them based on reputation. But, Eliana showed me how to make them fabulous. And the sweet potatoes were a concoction that I had been dreaming up as a ravioli filling, but I like them so much on their own that I have yet to mash them to fill some pasta.

Brussels Sprouts

Preheat oven to 450ºF (or even higher). Cut sprouts in half or quarters, toss on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. 10-20 minutes later, they will brown and crisp up, ready to pop in your mouth.

Sweet Potato Candy

The maple syrup caramelizes but is not too sweet and the cayenne really spices things up.

﻿﻿﻿﻿Again, heat the oven to 450ºF. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Toss on a cookie sheet (are you sensing a theme here?), drizzle with maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon, and olive oil. Add your favorite spices – I used turmeric and cayenne. 15-25 minutes later (depending on size of sweet potatoes) they’re ready.

Hold the phone! What ever happened to ‘If G-d Were a Foodie, San Francisco Would Be Heaven?’ I have to say, we miss you, and have not stopped talking about your B-nut squash soup since you left. I’m about to make your sweet potatoes again this week. Come back and bring all your foodie knowledge with you! Love, Eliana, Micah, ChipperJones & AmandaLynn

Micah and Eliana — thanks for dropping by. Eliana — I was struggling to use the title and will just have to use it next time I come out to visit and we make a bunch of dinner reservations early! Micah – the next time you make cholent, I expect a full report! Hugs and kisses!